Bloodied and Worn
by nierest
Summary: Despite the title, I'd call this one more fluff than anything else. Feel free to leave a comment and writing tips are welcome. I hope you enjoy the read!


This is my first fic published on . Despite the title, I'd call this one more fluff than anything else. Feel free to leave a comment and writing tips are welcome. I hope you enjoy the read!

He didn't realise when it happened. Throughout all the carnage and razing he and his partner indulged themselves in, it was hard to tell when his new feelings first bloomed amongst the indiscriminate rage that had already flowered in his heart. To Caim, it was but an unwanted weed; sucking the life out of his want to rout all those who stood in his path. The pact made between the dragon and himself was only to keep him alive and to share in her power. Eventually, that pact rose to form an unbreakable bond between the two; the prince and dragon became partners of destruction. But even then, new and foreign feelings started to spring in his heart; a feeling he has never known his entire life. All he knew is that he wanted to be with the dragon, despite that creature being responsible for the loss of his most important asset; his voice. Yet still, Caim figured he could live without it if it meant staying by her side.

All these thoughts clouded his mind and hindered his powerful swings as he cut and pushed through his enemies with strength undying. He wondered why he didn't call down his partner from the sky she roamed, Caim's mind conflicted with the choice of either; completely eradicating the force of the empire charging at him with the power of the red dragon's fire, or lessening the burden on the beast by cutting through all who stood in his path? He got a thrill out of both. He wondered if the red dragon enjoyed the bloodshed as much as he did, and quickly remembered it's harsh words at his actions and once again realised the stark differences between them. An elegant and brutal monster of legend who bore an annoyance for all humankind and him, a human in the centre of that irritation-yet he didn't exactly enjoy dragons either. As far as Caim knew, the red dragon was the only thing besides his sister that mattered to him anymore. Everyone in the world could die and he wouldn't care, as long as Furiae was safe and the red dragon was by his side. The young prince tried to convince himself that the only reason he cared about the dragon was because if she died, he would soon follow after due to the elements of their pact. Yet the thought of losing the red monster filled his heart with grief, which he deduced to not be grief at his own death, but at hers. He couldn't bear to live in a world without her, and he was actually happy that at her death, he would die too. Suddenly, a voice rumbled in his mind-the feminine voice belonging to no other than his ally, the red dragon.

"Caim, I sense turmoil within your soul. Call me to battle. These humans cannot withstand my power." Her voice resounded throughout his body, and as the prince looked up, he saw her mighty form perched atop the tallest cliff. He had forgotten that their pact meant sharing their power, but also their emotions and thoughts to an extent. His feelings were so troublesome that they had reached the dragon's heart, yet it seemed she could not identify his feelings either. Her golden eyes burned into his own, and after cutting down one last red-eyed soldier, he called her forth with a wave of his hand. She propelled herself from the cliff with a single beat of her gargantuan wings, blocking out the sun and covering the battlefield in her shadow. She only needed hover for but a second for Caim to leap onto her back, straddling atop her as if she were a horse and not the most powerful being in all creation. With a single signal from the brunet prince, she devastated the entire area below and around them, killing more soldiers than Caim had in the past hour. Instead of feeling shame at the lack of violence he inflicted compared to the red dragon, he felt the same rush as if he were the one incinerating the field on which they fought on. Although the red dragon viewed it as simply 'exterminating inferior entities', Caim saw it as the most beautiful view in all of Midgard, and the greatest activity ever. He lent forward, resting his tired body against the crimson beast's neck. Her skin was soft, and he could feel how strong she was even through his gloves. Issuing all control and strategy unto the red dragon, she gladly complied and took control of the battlefield.

She understood he needed rest-no matter how murderous one may be, a man must always rest, especially since Caim had been fighting nonstop for an hour. The red dragon appreciated the warm touch of the prince, and in fact wish she could encourage it, yet her own pride stood in her way. She will at least admit she had grown fond of the human, despite him being arguably the worst man to ever exist, and even enjoyed his company; despite the only time they were together was when they were killing mass amounts of red-eyes, she didn't despise the carnage as long as Caim was there to share in the fight. After all, if it weren't for him she wouldn't even be involved in this stupid war in the first place, so she had to make sure the prince at least suffered through it with her. At least, that's what she told herself. Letting out a fiery sigh, she let the wind from her wings carry her blazing breath across the fields and forests, destroying a few monster colonies in the process. Not that she cared; anything inferior to her should just bow down and accept their fate.

She watched as the forests burned, keeping herself afloat using her magnificent leathery wings. They couldn't reach the red dragon and prince from here, and Caim had already taken care of all the archers who would dare shoot down the almighty monster from the heavens she rightfully belongs in. Caim lay on his belly atop the dragon, both arms dangling from the sides of her neck. He was thoroughly worn, sleeping almost too peacefully on the soft-skinned beast. It was unusual for him to sleep in the middle of a battle, as he was usually the one issuing where to raze and where to inflict the most damage. The crimson dragon would comply to his will, playing along with him as that was what was easiest for her. And although she was finally allowed to wreak her own havoc, she missed his unspoken orders that rang in her head almost constantly. The fact that Caim was sleeping on her meant that he trusted her a great deal; trusted her enough to kill as brutally as if he was in command. Her heart swelled with a smug pride, or mayhap gratefulness, at the fact that she was allowed to kill as little or as large amount of soldiers as she liked. Planting herself on the ground, she moved with grace and purpose, not allowing Caim to slip off her unstable surface. It was actually amazing that he managed to sleep through her roaring flames and the cries of the red eyes. Mayhap it was a lullaby to the cruel prince? Either way, she didn't particularly hate it.

She was killing all of these mindless soldiers for him, for his goal, for rescuing Furiae and keeping Caim happy. There was nothing in this world that could stabilise his mad mind, but there were things that could ease it. His sister was definitely one thing that kept him at peace, and the red dragon wondered if she was also someone he enjoyed being with. Suddenly, a lone bowman shot an arrow from the flames, striking the huge monster at the throat. Luckily for the dragon, her skin was soft yet not weak, meaning the arrow simply bounced off her scaly gullet. Caim had not, in fact, taken care of all the bowmen, and many may still be lurking in the devastated fields and forests. Although the red dragon was one of the most powerful beings in Midgard, she thought it best to keep to the cliffs and let Caim deal with the remaining imperial forces. With a beat of her wings, she flew into the smoky sky, taking care not to drop the sleeping prince at a lethal angle.

"Caim." Her voice reverberated, "I leave the rest to you." Caim woke up in an instant, as if from an orchestrated power nap, leapt off the dragon's back and landed successfully. He looked up at the red dragon's retreating form, and felt the weed-like feelings tug at his heart. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, and he himself felt guilty for letting her do all the dirty work alone. The moments when he would ride on her back were his favourite, and he passed by that moment in a poorly timed nap. Cursing internally, he charged into the flaming forest and raised his broadsword, readying himself for the red eyes his partner left for him. He quickly located a small squad, rushing forth and heaving the chunky sword through the closest soldier. He showered in their deep red blood, stomping on a scarlet eye that spurted forth from the soldier's skull. He looked skywards to see if the dragon was watching, yet she was nowhere to be seen. A pang of disappointment struck his heart. He wished she would be by his side always, and wondered if this is how Furiae and Inuart once felt towards each other. Shaking his head, he charged towards the remaining bowmen, sword ready to cut every single one of them in half. And that he did, with a sick smile spread across his painted-red face. He just loved the blood, loved the kill, loved it when the red eyes wilted and their corpses fell to the ground. And when that last corpse fell, he summoned the red dragon to pick him up from his place in the woods. The red dragon appeared from behind the cliffs to the east, and swiftly retrieved him from the battlefield. She hovered high above the forest, surveying the burnt unrecognisable landscape. Verdelet was shouting about 'the sins of relentless murder' and 'how cruel the prince of Caerleon is' from God knows where, but the red dragon and blood-slicked prince tuned him out.

"You're certain you have killed them all?" She scoffed, "I'm surprised you had some archers left over in the first place. I expected more of you, Caim."

(They're all dead. I made sure of it.) Subconsciously, Caim reached his hand out to the dragon's long neck, and stroked it softly. This caught the dragon by surprise, and Caim could tell. She didn't protest though, and in fact enjoyed his gloved touch, yet she would never admit it. Her fiery-yellow eyes looked to the safety of the cliffs, where Verdelet, Arioche, Leonard and Seere stood watching the two in the sky. Verdelet was still talking nonsense, and Caim inaudibly clicked his tongue at his words. The red dragon beat her wings slowly, making her way back to the group.

"All this killing isn't good, Caim. It's disgusting how you murder innocents as if they were no different from the Cult of the Watchers."

(Oh, I didn't know you were Verdelet. Since when did you care about who was innocent and who was guilty?) The prince retorted. As if Verdelet's nagging wasn't enough, now she was telling him what to do as well. The creature was bothered by his response. If the red dragon had eyebrows, they would be furrowed.

"Unneeded killing is exactly what I hate most about you pathetic humans," Her tone was bitter, filled with disdain towards Caim and humanity, "I've lived for over 10 000 years and humanity hasn't changed at all." Caim lent forward and rested his chin on her neck, a silent sigh escaping his lips. He knew it was best to just keep quiet (which considering he's mute, he's great at) and just let her win. Besides, he didn't want to argue with her in the first place. Seeing her upset was the last thing he wanted, and he especially didn't want her to be angry at him. The dragon rolled her eyes at his silence and decided to stop dawdling. With a powerful beat of her leathery wings, she lurched forward towards the small, untouched field where their travelling companions waited for them.

When her powerful hind legs finally made contact with the ground, Caim was almost sad that he had to dismount the giant monster so soon, and the red dragon felt the disappointment in his heart. Still irritated at the unjust actions of the brunet prince, she lowered her neck to let him disembark with ease. Lifting her head skywards, she was surprised to feel a warm touch against her soft throat. Eyes leering down, she saw it was Caim that was touching her, patting her with two bare hands. She lowered her head, allowing the prince to gently scratch and pat her jaw. She let out a draconic smile, but quickly hid it behind her usual scaly features. The prince caught her slip-up, but deemed it best not to bring it up. Their colleagues were calling to them, telling them to hurry up, and the hierarch Verdelet continued to bumble on about the sins of Caim and the consequences of his actions. He didn't care though; he was too busy staring into her hypnotising amber eye. As Caim ran his clean hands all over her cheeks, face and armour caked in drying blood, she felt something ignite within her chest that wasn't a devastating fire blast. Caim felt it too.

There, in that moment, after a bloody and horrific battle with stares aimed exclusively at them, she realised she thought of him as more than just a partner. And she believes he thinks so, too.

She loves him.


End file.
